What players would Mourinho target?

Zero chance of that happening.
Not so sure about Bale. Modric will not happen and now is not a convenient time to buy him either as he's turned 30, Bale however might eventually leave Real Madrid and he will be 27 this year so this might be the time.
 
Griezmann and Stones. If we have Champions League football and Mourinho next season I would not be surprised at all if we had Zlatan as well.
 
A strong core like everyone states, and then I imagine he'll target a sizable amount of 'premium' players already in their peak.
 
Why does everyone assume he's a big fan of Zlatan. Didn't he sell him in order to get Eto'o.. if JM really wanted him he'd have blocked the sale.
 
Why does everyone assume he's a big fan of Zlatan. Didn't he sell him in order to get Eto'o.. if JM really wanted him he'd have blocked the sale.
In fairness, the offer they received for Ibrahimovic was ludicrous at the time. Eto'o was arguably as effective and they got a pretty healthy sum of money on top of that. I don't think that necessarily suggests he dislikes the player.

His tendency to bring in veteran/over the hill strikers (Eto'o, Drogba, Falcao) in recent years at Chelsea makes it a possibility, I think. The fact that he's worked with him before and that his contract runs out in the summer could also be contributing factors.

Having said all that, I'd prefer we didn't move for him.
 
In fairness, the offer they received for Ibrahimovic was ludicrous at the time. Eto'o was arguably as effective and they got a pretty healthy sum of money on top of that. I don't think that necessarily suggests he dislikes the player.

His tendency to bring in veteran/over the hill strikers (Eto'o, Drogba, Falcao) in recent years at Chelsea makes it a possibility, I think. The fact that he's worked with him before and that his contract runs out in the summer could also be contributing factors.

Having said all that, I'd prefer we didn't move for him.

Eto'o and Drogba bring a winning mentality. Falcao was a Mendes stich up.
 
Eto'o and Drogba bring a winning mentality. Falcao was a Mendes stich up.

I can only assume that some form of mass hypnosis was performed to get Falcao signed up.
Even I stated multiple times last season, that he would struggle in the Championship and that League 1 or league 2 is more his level.
Bizarrely some MUFC fans still believed that he would go on to show that he is the best striker in the World at Chelsea and that we should sign him up...which I found thoroughly amusing.
 
I can only assume that some form of mass hypnosis was performed to get Falcao signed up.
Even I stated multiple times last season, that he would struggle in the Championship and that League 1 or league 2 is more his level.
Bizarrely some MUFC fans still believed that he would go on to show that he is the best striker in the World at Chelsea and that we should sign him up...which I found thoroughly amusing.

Agreed it was ridiculous. Clearly doing a close business friend a favour. No way would Mourinho think Falcao has something left to give.
 
Mata will probably be sold or ask to be transferred if Mourinho comes in. A swap+cash for Griezmann, why not? :smirk:
 
He'll want a CB and I imagine he'd want to add more athleticism to the team as we are a fairly immobile side through the middle.
 
Zlatan for free
Griezmann
Stones
Renato Sanches

Something like that and we would have a really good team all of a sudden.
 
He will target a new CB more than likely Stones.
He will try to sign a new Striker.

He will move on Fellaini, Mata and maybe Rooney.

Then he will probably look at a right back, a centre mid and a right winger.
 
Stones
Griezmann
Zlatan
Barkley

Out:
Fellaini
Mata
Young
Jones

That should be enough to compete on all fronts. Domestic Treble.
 
Stones
Griezmann
Zlatan
Barkley

Out:
Fellaini
Mata
Young
Jones

That should be enough to compete on all fronts. Domestic Treble.

Nice, but I'd keep Young for depth. Fellaini doesn't fit at all, of course. Mata needs to go to Atletico or some other decent Spanish club and Jones is permacrocked beyond all repair. We should be able to get 5-6m for him.

I still think Laporte would be the better option for us than Stones, but Stones does tick the English box.
 
Stones
Griezmann
Zlatan
Barkley

Out:
Fellaini
Mata
Young
Jones

That should be enough to compete on all fronts. Domestic Treble.
It would be nice if we can sign all those players.

De Gea
Darmian - Smalling - Stones - Shaw
Schneiderlin
Herrera - Barkley
Griezmann - Ibrahimovic - Martial
That formation looks good for me. However, I think Griezmann wouldnt come if we don't play Champions League. But Mahrez or Sane would be good options.
Also City and Chelsea will target Stones. The positive is that there are more young talented CBs.
 
Being out the CL as I think we will be complicates everything. We're going to have to target young players .
 
At this point I couldn't careless who he brings in, anyone is bound to be an improvement on what we've got now.
 
No need to get rid of Young as he's become a very good squad player that can cover all wide positions. Otherwise looking good, although I'm still not completely sold on Barkley yet.

Yeah I did think hard about Young but from a managers point of view you have to think we have squad depth with Lingard and Januzaj.. Who we need to start using.
 
Being out the CL as I think we will be complicates everything. We're going to have to target young players .

we said that before and ended up with Di Maria, falcao (who at the time was still considered good), shaw and herrera. So i dont buy that.
 
we said that before and ended up with Di Maria, falcao (who at the time was still considered good), shaw and herrera. So i dont buy that.

My concern that is for a club like ours missing out on the champions league once can be seen as an anomaly, missing out on it twice in three years looks like it might be becoming a habit
 
If Mourinho arrived, of what he has got in his squad is pretty damn good.

Of the current squad he has got pretty good tools to work with, of his main men DDG, smalling, shaw, morgan, herrera, bastian, depay, martial, there is the platform for Mourinho to build on.

DDG - He has one of the best keepers in the world, so if we keep DDG he already has one part of the spine sorted.

Smalling and shaw - 2 players Jose will love, not in their prime yet, or in shaw's case he is not, but in smalling he has the size, height, experience now, and being English Mourinho will want more of that UK core. In shaw, Mourinho potentially could inherit one of the best LB's in the world, we need to get him fit though

Morgan - Mourinho would use every week has one of 3 midfielders, think he will try and improve one or 2 more things with him, but he has the DM he needs

Herrera - I could see Mourinho trying to do what he done for Frank Lampard, build the midfield around him, Herrera has the ability to score goals and create, and with his technique he can really give united that goal threat which Mourinho loves

Bastian - I see Jose using him has experience, when fit he could give Mourinho so much, but Mourinho would want another CM.

Depay - Memphis I could see working for Mourinho, I think he would improve his physique, something depay could use, and Memphis does have a goal threat he just needs a manager that could take him to the next level, which Memphis does have the potential

Martial - Mourinho has got his perfect CF, powerful, acceleration to get in behind the defense, and a presence, so upfront he has got his main man. Mourinho loved drogba, so I see Mourinho seeing him has the CF to lead his line in his 433

We factor in other players of, Darmian, blind, valencia, young, rooney, there is not much in the squad we could see they should go, he needs another RB, a few CB's, another LB, another CM, a winger and maybe more depth upfront, but overall Mourinho is going into a squad that can improve, its just guys like VG have missused the squad and left us totally thin on the numbers, but with the most likely case of no european football again, Mourinho will have the chance of having less games, and a focus of either getting us back into the elite, or challenging for the PL
 
I think he'd actually love Blind as a CM next to Schneiderlin, it would be as solid as it gets and he loves that. Throw in Herrera or Basti with little more freedom and that's a fantastic midfield.

Stones is nailed on imo, United and Mourinho loves signing english players, no brainer really.

I can also see us going for Isco or Varane as well as a couple of youngsters from Portugal.
 
It would be nice if we can sign all those players.

De Gea
Darmian - Smalling - Stones - Shaw
Schneiderlin
Herrera - Barkley
Griezmann - Ibrahimovic - Martial
That formation looks good for me. However, I think Griezmann wouldnt come if we don't play Champions League. But Mahrez or Sane would be good options.
Also City and Chelsea will target Stones. The positive is that there are more young talented CBs.
Don't you think Smalling needs a senior partner to share he defensive burden and bring out the best in him? Schneiderlin, Herrera and Barkley are either a little insecure or passive in possession and none of them are sufficiently capable of controlling tempo. If they're expected to defend and break instead with Schneiderlin in that unfamiliar 'water carrier' role, won't it also be found out defensively?
 
I think he'd actually love Blind as a CM next to Schneiderlin, it would be as solid as it gets and he loves that. Throw in Herrera or Basti with little more freedom and that's a fantastic midfield.
Problem is that Blind isn't athletic enough for what Mourinho normally seems to want. Mourinho tends to like athletes. Whether that's big powerful players, fast players, or preferably players who are both.

Blind is below average in both power and speed, so I think he'd struggle to provide what Mourinho would want.
 
Don't you think Smalling needs a senior partner to share he defensive burden and bring out the best in him? Schneiderlin, Herrera and Barkley are either a little insecure or passive in possession and none of them are sufficiently capable of controlling tempo. If they're expected to defend and break instead with Schneiderlin in that unfamiliar 'water carrier' role, won't it also be found out defensively?
Smalling is 26. We could go for someone experienced like Godin. But I would prefer a younger and talented CB than someone around 30s.
I agree about midfield. Schneiderlin-Herrera-Barkley wouldn't be a good combination. They need someone capable of controlling the game. Also, I think we are going to play 4231 instead of a midfield of 3.
Which players do you conside could be a good choice in the 'water carrier role'?
 
This reminds me that our squad does fit Mourinho pretty well. If Guardiola had taken over, I think De Gea, Shaw, Martial, Memphis, Blind, Herrera and probably Schneiderlin as a CB would fit well, but that's it. Whereas for Mourinho, I think Smalling for sure and probably Darmian also fits.

We'll play 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1.

Up front it's Martial, a new signing at RW and either Memphis or Rooney as the 3rd attacker (depending on where he likes Martial).

Midfield is Schneiderlin, Herrera and a signed CM, probably someone with a bit of offensive game, mobility and youth since Blind and Schweinsteiger can do Mikel sort of things deeper.

Smalling, Shaw and Darmian start and we buy a veteran CB to play next to Smalling.

De Gea sticks around or there's keeper roulette with Navas going to a fine team and us getting their keeper.

So, we sign a RW, a box to box CM and a CB + one random Mendes client.
 
Also it would be interesting to know which formation Mourinho would play and the main position of players like Blind, Rojo, Herrera, Mata, Rooney, Martial.

Where do you think they would play under Mourinho?